At home
How to plan a cocktail menu for a dinner party
A few considered choices can make an evening feel personal. Start with the people coming, then choose drinks you will enjoy making as well as serving.
Begin with a person, not a list of classics
When my father-in-law stayed with us for a week, he enjoyed the app but still asked me what he might like. I knew he liked Cognac, whisky and ginger, so those gave me somewhere to start. Over the week, we also explored bitters and herbal liqueurs.
Knowing what someone enjoys gives you a way to introduce a discovery. For your own guests, begin with a favourite spirit or ask about flavours: citrus, ginger, something bitter, or a longer, lighter serve. A familiar favourite can sit comfortably beside a drink they might not have chosen for themselves.
Choose the range around those people. If someone enjoys whisky, give that preference a place on the menu. If another guest likes a fresh, sparkling drink, think about how to offer that character, including in an alcohol-free choice. You can make the evening feel personal without making every drink an experiment.
Give each drink a reason to be on the menu
Example menu: four choices with different reasons to be there. Choose the ones that suit your guests and the preparation you want to do; two or three may be enough for your evening.
Example guest menu
Four choices, each with a reason.
Old Fashioned
Whisky-led
Daiquiri
Rum & lime
Tom Collins
Gin, lemon & soda
Mojito mocktail
Mint, lime & soda · Alcohol-free
| Drink | Why you might include it | Practical preparation consideration |
|---|---|---|
| Old Fashioned | A whisky-led choice for someone who enjoys that spirit. | The referenced method is built and stirred in the serving glass. Set out the measure, spoon, bitters and garnish; allow attention for dissolving the sugar. |
| Daiquiri | A shorter rum-and-lime choice for someone who enjoys a citrus-led drink. | It needs a shaker and a chilled cocktail glass. Leave the final shake to service and plan where used equipment will go. |
| Tom Collins | A longer gin-and-lemon choice with soda. | Have suitable tall glasses, lemon and soda ready, then complete the build when serving. |
| Mojito mocktail | A mint-and-lime choice with soda for a guest choosing no alcohol. | The Good Food recipe makes two serves. Prepare the lime juice and mint mixture as directed; finish with crushed ice and soda in tall glasses. |
The classic recipes are linked below. The Mojito mocktail brings mint, lime and soda to the menu, with a straightforward method to try before your gathering.
Mojito mocktail — two serves
Based on the Good Food team’s Mojito mocktail.
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon sugar; a small bunch of mint; juice of 3 limes; soda water to top up; crushed ice.
Equipment: a pestle and mortar, or a small bowl and the end of a rolling pin; two tall glasses.
Method
- Crush the mint leaves with the sugar.
- Put crushed ice in both glasses, share the lime juice and mint mixture between them, then top up each with soda water.
Keep the source’s two-serve quantities together in your working recipe. Try the recipe before the gathering, as you would with any new addition to the menu.
Read the recipes together before shopping
Look for useful overlap. The Daiquiri and Mojito mocktail both use lime. The Collins needs lemon, so “citrus” on the shopping list would not be specific enough. Garnishes and sweetening ingredients may differ too.
Then look at methods. A menu made entirely of drinks that need shaking can demand more attention at the moment guests arrive. A mix of methods may fit your evening more comfortably, provided you know each recipe and have the right equipment.
Do not buy ingredients just because they might be useful one day. Choose the menu, check quantities against what you have and shop for the remaining gaps. The recipe and ingredient guide explains how to keep those records separate.
Confirm the menu your guests will see
Use drink names and short descriptions that help someone choose. Keep exact measures, preparation notes and personal adjustments on your working recipes. The guest menu should reflect what you are ready to make that evening.
Check preferences and dietary requirements with guests, using the actual ingredients you plan to serve. Give the Mojito mocktail a short description, such as “mint, lime and soda”. It should feel like part of the menu.
Your menu decision sequence
- Understand the guests’ preferences and include a considered alcohol-free choice.
- Choose a manageable range, with a reason for every drink.
- Read the complete recipes and review shared ingredients, equipment and methods.
- Confirm the guest menu and keep working recipes close at hand.
For the next stage, use Prepare cocktails before your guests arrive.
Explore a sample guest menu
See how a small selection can be presented to your guests in the TwentyTwo-2 sample menu.
Recipe references
IBA Old Fashioned, IBA Daiquiri and IBA John Collins, including the Tom Collins note. For the Tom Collins variation, the IBA reference specifies Old Tom gin. The Good Food team’s Mojito mocktail, originally published in Good Food magazine in August 2011, supplies the complete alcohol-free example.
